Get Ready to Vote! Here’s a Rundown of the Seven Questions

By Rachael Mady, June 28, 2018

It’s finally time to vote on the question that you think will make for the best, most interesting investigation. A big shout-out to everyone who shared their thoughts and participated in discussions on the Question Design board. Your input was key to thinking about how to refine the seven cam-testable questions based on four main criteria: is the question interesting (to you and the scientific community), specific, measurable, and feasible?

 

Read on for a summary of discussions about each question to inform your decision.

Do the hawks use different kinds of calls in different situations at the nest?

Interesting?

This question garnered a lot of interest on the Wonder Board and in the live Q&A session. In the scientific literature, vocalizations have been generally documented (e.g., chicks give soft peeps when their parents arrive at the nest), but specific, detailed behaviors and their associations with vocalizations at the nest have not. Previous research has not had the capabilities that a 24/7 camera gives us.

Specific?

Yes—though we should specify which individuals we will study (Big Red, Arthur, and/or the nestlings). We could also better define “situations” as behaviors occurring before and after a vocalization.

Measurable?

Participants have proposed that a list of known behaviors (such as the arrival of parents) and vocalizations (such as soft peeping of chicks) could be generated to help participants know what to look for and tag in the footage. After segments with vocalizations have been tagged, we could dive into more detail such as examining vocalizations with spectrograms.

Feasible?

Possibly, with some creative solutions. One challenge is that the data-tagging platform, Zooniverse, serves up short video clips in random sequences. If a key behavior occurs before or after what is captured in a given clip, we will need to create a process to link events from sequential clips.

How long does Big Red spend away from the eggs and is it related to temperature?

Interesting?

The relationship between incubation and temperature is not established for many species, including Red-Tailed Hawks.

Specific?

“Temperature” was too broad because it could refer to ambient temperature, temperature at the nest, or even temperature in the nest. We discussed focusing on ambient temperature. We also considered whether we should consider Arthur in addition to Big Red, since both have been observed incubating.

Measurable?

We can note the duration Big Red and/or Arthur spends off the nest as well as the frequency with which they leave. We can also measure ambient temperature by utilizing weather data from a local station, such as the one at Cornell Orchards. In the future, we might be able to install a device to record temperature in the nest or use an infrared camera.

Feasible?

Yes. Since this question is about incubation, we only need to process data from the beginning of the breeding season. One consideration is whether this behavior (sitting on nest or absent from the nest) is engaging enough to retain the interest of participants tagging the data.

Are there patterns to which chick gets fed when?

Interesting?

Red-Tailed Hawk nestlings seem to exhibit a loose dominance structure, but who gets fed when is not established in the literature.

Specific?

We first identified the problem of keeping track of each chick’s ID since their appearances are so similar. We refined the question so that it reads more like this: Is the first chick fed based on size, loudness of vocalizations, and/or proximity to the food?

Measurable?

Not currently. Gauging the relative size of chicks can be challenging, and might be affected by how puffed up the feathers are, or the position of each chick relative to the camera. Another challenge is that the data-tagging platform, Zooniverse, displays recorded clips in random sequence. We would not be able to determine which chick is fed first without additional data sequencing and processing.

Feasible?

Studying this question would only be feasible if the question is refined and if the data-tagging platform can be changed to deliver clips in sequence.

How much time do nestlings spend in different activities?

Interesting?

Changes in chick behavior throughout the nestling period have been documented, but in a general sense. Variation in daily frequency and duration of different activities and how this variation changes as nestlings get older, is not well known.

Specific?

Two specific activities mentioned were sleeping and eating. We can look at these and other activities throughout the day as nestlings age.

Measurable?

Yes, although not for the individual chicks within the nest, since it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other. The total duration and time of day when sleeping and eating occur is measurable. It might also be helpful to establish milestones (e.g., by week) to help document and compare behaviors.

Feasible?

Yes. To answer this question, at least one breeding season is needed. Depending on how much data we want to process, we could take on multiple seasons!

How do Arthur’s activities at the nest differ from Ezra’s in past years?

Interesting?

In Red-Tailed Hawks, it is not known how age or breeding experience affect the breeding behavior of the male. Participants have noticed behavioral differences between Arthur and Ezra that might be worth investigating since these two are different in age and breeding experience!

Specific?

We discussed refining “activities” to focus on brooding and feeding behavior. We could also record time spent on and off the nest.

Measurable?

The duration of brooding and feeding behavior, or simply time on/off the nest, can be measured.

Feasible?

Yes. Depending on how much footage we want to process, we have one season of footage with Arthur at the nest and multiple seasons with Ezra.

After fledging, how often do the young come back to the nest?

Interesting?

This is not known for many species, including Red-Tailed Hawks. We know that the young will hang near and at the nest after fledging, but do not know any specifics about nest visitation. Viewers also noted that this year seems to be different from previous years.

Specific?

Identifying the juveniles as H1, H2, and H3 can be difficult, so we would be able to measure total time at the nest for all the siblings, but not for individuals. In addition to looking at duration of visits, we could record the behavior of the young during visits.

Measurable?

We could measure the total duration of visits that can be observed with the cams, though participants noted that in some cases we might miss a visit if a juvenile perches at the nest but out of view of the camera.

Feasible?

Possibly. A key consideration is whether participants will find it rewarding enough to screen the footage, since the nest could be empty for long stretches of time. Imagine watching thousands of 10-second clips, only to label all of them as empty! In the future, we hope to build a live annotation tool, which would enable participants to tag the footage in real time. Some day, computer vision may also enable the computer to automatically recognize when a bird is on the nest.

How does the frequency of aggression among siblings change with age?

Interesting?

One study on captive Red-Tailed Hawks observed sibling aggression dissipating after two weeks. In wild Red-Tailed Hawks, a couple of studies suggest that food availability may be tied to sibling aggression.

Specific?

This question is about a specific behavior, but when collecting data it will be helpful to define specific behaviors, such as pecking, that indicate aggression.

Measurable?

Measuring an aggressive behavior such as pecking is possible.We also need to think about the timeline in which to collect data. Should we look at part or the whole breeding season?

Feasible?

Yes. Specific measurable behaviors should be defined before data collection begins.

This summary was based on discussions on the Question Design board. Ready to vote on which question to investigate this fall? Scroll to the top and cast your vote!